Cannondale Slice Hi-Mod DI2 internal upgrade, HBW Custom

Cannondale DI2 mod, a photo by Hypercat Cycling on Flickr.

Visit the complete set here:  Cannondale DI2 modification
Hypercat Bike Works has been building DI2 specific bikes since Shimano released the group. Master Mechanic Phil is a DI2 certified mechanic and through HBW has been involved with electronic shifting from early Suntour browning systems to Mavic’s Zap and Mektronic groups through the modern era of Shimano DI2, Campy and beyond.

This project was commissioned to take the original externally routed cabling and run all internal.  while many bikes are designed at the factory to have DI2 routed through the frame it is possible to modify most frames to accept the internal wiring with the correct choice of wiring harness.  for this bike the frame is rather large and a large kit was necessary.  Shimano offers many options and with a good amount of pre-planning and measuring the ideal wiring harness can be chosen. Due to the shape of the tubing around the front derailleur and the location of the water bottle mounts it was chosen to use a short battery mount to place on the left chainstay and an external junction box with all other elements routed internal.

For factory spec’d internal frames the Bottom bracket has capacity to route the cables around the main crank spindle.  In this case holes needed to be bored through the main BB shell.   The first hole was the main access hole from the outside of the frame through the BB shell. The second hole was the front derailleur hole mated to another port hole located at the front derailleur.   The final holes bored were the rear derailleur routing through the BB shell and through the right chainstay.  To keep the wires from tangling with the crank spindle I used two products: #1 – removed the FSA adapter sleeve and shimano BB and opted for the BB30 shell and Hawk Racing BB30.24 adapters.  This improves performance and gets the bearings further out.  #2 – added protective sleeve around crank spindle so that no moving parts are in contact with wiring if they should move around.

On the frame grommets were added to exit holes for wiring to maintain water tightness.

Front end controls were routed entirely through handlebars and stem.  Main controller mounted to top of stem and all other excess wiring tucked into available tubing.  No modifications were made to braking system other than routing cabling through stem.Hypercat Racing is a by-appointment Bike Fit studio and custom build boutique located in Ventura California specializing in aero and skinny tire bikes.

Sam Schultz visits Hypercat

Sam Schultz the unflappable young Professional with the always smiling, always positive attitude was in the studio recently for Retul 3D fittings on both his 29′er Superfly  mountain bike and Fisher Cronus road.  Sam is a great young talent to work with and it was a treat to be able to spend time with him.

Here is a short photo gallery of his time in the studio.

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Product Highlight: K-Edge Chain Catcher

I like simple products that work.  And if you are anything like me you probably also enjoy keeping your chain where it is supposed to be, on the chainrings and not rubbing holes in your frame.  The K-edge chain catcher is practically the embodiment of the simple product that works.  Built in the USA, the chain catcher mounts to either your braze-on or your frame and keeps the chain from falling to the inside of the crankset off the small ring.

“Never worry about dropping your chain again.”

K-Edge Road Chain Catcher used by professionals in the Olympic Games, World Championships, Paris-Roubaix, Giro DíItalia and Tour De France. It’s a common sense design that provides a functional advantage for high performance cyclists. The K-EDGE chain catcher is a precision component that enhances the overall function of your drive train while protecting your valuable frame.

Specifications
Material: 6061 T6 aluminum
Fitment: All braze-on type mounted and clamp style braze-on mounted front derailleurs.
Weight: 10 grams
Anodized colors: Black, Gun-metal, Red, Blue, Gold. also white non-ano.
Hardware: Now includes all mounting hardware for Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo front derailleurs, including a new radius washer with secure mounting interface.

My first views of the K-edge were of the braze-on pictured, but since they have hit the market a whole line of solution oriented chain catchers for a variety of bikes has been added.  Our original interest was, as it almost always is with aero bikes so I was pretty excited. Now I am over the top, with the new designs for triple cranksets, mountain, cross and other crank set-ups, we are able to recommend a solution to nearly everyone.  Even if you don’t have the latest $10,000+ super bike, keeping your chain on the crankset is preferable to dropping it.  And for you newbie riders it can definitely help while your learning to perfect your shifting on uphills.  One of my most recent clients had a rough crash due to a dropped and stuck chain, with the K-edge that would have been avoided.   The K-edge is certainly not the least expensive option, there are other choices out there to keep you from dropping chains, however it is the only one that works with tubes and shapes that are non-traditional and the only one that I am aware that is made here in the USA, and at $39.95 for the braze-on model they are cheap relative to a new paint job or worse a new frame.   And possibly the most important of all they are available in a variety of cool colors.

To learn more about all the options available to you from K-Edge you can visit their website linked under products we sell.  To purchase please visit the Hypercat web store or contact Phil directly if the product you are looking for is not listed.  Due to the large variety of designs and colors K-edge products are  a special order product and take 2-5 days to get in, however we do keep the full color palette of Braze-on models in stock .

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Wilier Cento Uno DI2, HBW Custom

  

Wilier Cento Uno DI2 009

Visit the complete set here:  Wilier DI2 Flickr set

 
Hypercat Bike Works has been building DI2 specific bikes since Shimano released the group. Master Mechanic Phil is a DI2 certified mechanic and through HBW has been involved with electronic shifting from early suntour browning systems to Mavic’s Zap and Mektronic groups through the modern era of Shimano DI2 and beyond.

This offering is a 15.2 lb everyday practical racer. With Lightweight full carbon clincher wheels this Wilier can easily transform from an every day club bike to a weekend racer. built as a stage race bike, carbon abounds on every part of the bike. From wheels, hubs and spokes to bars and stem, seatpost and even the seat rails. Smooth as silk this no-nonsense rig can take anything you can dish out.

Quick specs:
-DI2/ 7900 full group
-Lightweight full carbon clincher wheels
-Schwalbe Ultremo DD tires
-Profile Cobra carbon bars and stem
-Speedplay X/2 Ti pedals
-Selle Italia SLR carbon saddle with Ritchey top cap
-Intergrated carbon seatmast
-Cane Creek carbon headset

Retail $18,500.   This bike will be recieving an SRM 7900 for 2011 for an Additional $4k-. 

Originally uploaded by Hypercat Bike Works

Bike Fit Tools: The Retul Zin Digitizer

Today’s modern bike fit studio is outfitted with an arsenal of tools that would make a university lab jealous.  As bike designs change so must the equipment.  As education becomes more available and the fitter becomes more specialized so must their equipment.  While the simple tried and true tools of the past like tape measures, plumb bobs and angle finders are still in use, the modern fit studio is now equipped with tools like lasers, computers, video and in some cases (such as here at Hypercat) 3D motion capture and handheld digitizers.   

One of my favorite tools in the Hypercat aresenal is the Retul Zin.   The Zin (Retul’s handheld digitizer) provides the ability to measure a rider’s bike at either 13 or 15 points, depending on the bike (road, aero, mountain, etc.).  The Zin can measure fixed points, contours, and curves, providing a complete digital map of the bike that is far more accurate than traditional tape measures.  Even difficult components such as saddles and grips are measured for exact angles and relative positioning. 

How it works:  The fitter connects the Zin Wand Digitizer to the Retul 3D unit.  After digitizing a few reference points, the bike is scanned at 13-15 points around the bicycle.  Wheels, bottom bracket, handlebar, grips, stem, aerobar grips, aerobar pads, saddle.  headset, are all scanned and a rendering of the bicycle is created with references created between several fixed points (bottom bracket center, headtube) of the bike and the alterable points (saddle, handlebars, aerobars, grips).  The final product is a printout of the exact size of your bicycle and the location of everything attached to it. 

Benefits:  A detailed computer scan of your bicycle provides accuracy to less than 1mm of the location of all the major contact areas on your bicycle.  This can come in very handy when traveling and trying to put a bike back together exactly as it was before, or maybe your bike got worked on and something feels “off” afterward.  Maybe you want to change saddles but not positions, or how about needing to rent or borrow a bike, you can take your position with you.  What if you are in the market for a new bike and like the way your old bike fits?  You can use your scanned bike as a template to see what bikes match and/ or set-up the test ride bike so you get a better test experience.   We have had clients who unfortunately had a bike stolen or broken in crashes, having the Zin document as a guide we or the shop mechanic at the store were able to quickly set up the new bike just like the old one.   Team Radioshack, Team Sky and other professional cycling teams, professional Triathletes like Chis Lieto, Team K-Swiss, Craig Alexander and many more all get their bikes Zin’ed and Retul’ed.  Professional cycling team mechanics are now carrying in their equipment van a Retul system so that each bike can be set-up for each rider exactly, everytime.

If you have a position that you like currently, or are getting ready to make some changes, make an appointment to have your bike Zin’ed.  A Zin session takes only 20-30 minutes, is $25- and includes a detailed printout and storage of files.  Make your appointment today at www.hypercat.com and never lose your position again.  Works with any bicycle.

Product Highlight – Jagwire Barcon 2.0 Shifter Mounts

  I was given my first set of Jagwire shifter mounts in 2007 as a beta set for testing.  These Originals only worked with Shimano shifters.  The concept of the shifter mounts was simple; create a mount that replaced the traditionally very heavy Shimano shifter base.  To lighten the load Jagwire took the internal expander wedge and threw it out and made the system an external mounting system.  This not only significantly reduced weight but had the side benefit of solving the problem of bars with different internal diameters and bars that had been modified beyond the ability to mount a shifter internally, safely.   Yes, I have cut quite a few bars down in the name of aerodynamics, only to later ponder how to mount the controls.  Oops.  Now I plan ahead before modifing.

Tech: BarCon 2.0      

• SRAM® and Shimano® bar end shifting systems
• Weight: 44 grams per pair
• Housing: 4mm derailleur housing w/ L3 liner
• Housing Length: 2100mm
• Cables: Slick stainless, SRAM® & Shimano®
• Cable Length: Front – 2300mm, Rear – 2300mm
• Small Parts: 4mm sealed alloy ferrules, donuts & tips
• Other: Shims for 22.2mm bars

Shimano’s traditional mount weighs ( 47 grams each ), while the Jagwire replacement weighs only ( 22 grams each ) That’s a savings of 52 grams, or basically one shifter.  Couple this with adjustiblity in mounting and you have a great bang for the buck at $59.99   with cables/ housing.  The current version, known as 2.0 allows the same bracket to be used with either Shimano or SRAM.  Currently there is no Campagnolo version.  With this simple adapter Jagwire’s engineers came up with an ingenious solution that solved the compatibility issues and made it possible to use the same mount with both SRAM® and Shimano Shifting Systems. I have tried both now, and they seem to work equally well.  Another side benefit because of the design these can work on road bikes as well, so for cyclo-crossers that use bar-end shifters or touring bikes this is a great way to shave some additional weight and add in some flexibility to shifter location. 

        

 From Jagwire’s description.

The BarCon’s sleek low profile design shaves precious grams off the weight of a bicycle and its external mounting is adjustment and service friendly. And the external mount makes the BarCon very versatile. While originally designed for triathlon bikes the mount can be used in a variety of applications including H-type handlebars, touring style drop bars and recumbent bike handlebars.

As a side note:  I recently broke a left (front) Sram lever on my TT bike and was able to slap on a Shimano shifter as a replacement without changing my set-up, pretty slick. 

Pro’s: 

• The system is easy to install
• Shifters can be placed at any angle regardless of bar angle/ positioning
• Very lightweight
• Comes in 3 anodized colors (Black, Gold. Silver)
• Can be used to quickly convert a road bike to tri bike
• Works great for Cross or Touring bikes

Con’s:

• Only works on bars with round tubes
• Does not work with shaped, integrated aerobars  
• External routing

Overall, the Jagwire 2.0 Barcon mounts are simple, well constructed and easy to install.  They come with a new set of shifter cables (stainless) and Jagwire’s best L3 housing.  I ride with my bars sized so that when aero my shifters are in the palm of my hand, with this position I found the jagwire shifter mounts to be slightly more comfortable than the Shimano and even more comfortable when compared to the SRAM (not a huge fan of the step down center with SRAM). 

Bar compatibility:

• Will work with any standard round metal handlebar
• Will work with any round metal aerobar (all brands)
• Will not work with some carbon round bars (ex. Profile Cobra)
• Will not work with aeroshaped carbon bars (ex. Profile Viper, Volna)

If you are looking for a way to clean up your shifter position and save some weight in the process these are the product for you.  MSRP is $59.99. Hypercat December sale price $39.99 a set while supplies last, very limited quantity (black and Gold only).  Visit www.hypercat.com or this and other products, training plans or to schedule a bike fit appointment.

New Product – McCool’s Smartmount Bike Race Number Holder

  For more than 20 years I have been wrestling with a simple problem.  Where to put the race number on an aero bike, that is to say a bike used for time trials, triathlons, duathlons, and the like.  A new shiny aero bike can be quickly ruined with the various things hung about it, and a flapping number can literally drive you crazy.  Over the years I have come up with countless mounts, and special tricks to deal with number placement.  While many of the solutions achieved the goals of not interfering with aerodynamics or functional parts of the bike, most were time consuming and generally pretty complicated.  Voila, enter the Smartmount Race Number Holder, by McCool’s.      

This simple little device makes installation of your race number fairly quick and definitely easy.  The idea is simple:  A flat clamp that holds the race number from the top of the number and attaches to a point on the rear of the bike.  A cleaner much simpler version of my and other race mechanics old trick of using a rack bracket or similiar device.   

The Smartmount is made from a lightweight, impact resistant polyurethane. Small steel nuts are recessed into the mount clamp. The carbon steel set screws are tightened with the included Hex Key. Designed to give you the option of leaving the bike attachment clip on the bike all season and simply removing the race number clamp plates, or cut the cable tie off after each race, and attach again with a standard cable tie. It uses less than an inch of space on any size or shaped bar or tube that you choose. The reversible and curved mounting clip provides for the best clearance possible giving you the option of mounting your race number practically anywhere on your bike. 

  We got our first Smartmount this summer and decided to try it during the ITU Long Course World Championships.  The ITU provides a stiff number and we chose not use the optional aero sleeve.  Set-up was quick and easy and I almost didn’t use the directions as everything seemed intuitive, but in the end broke down and looked at the sheet just to make sure I was doing things right.  I was of course, despite 12 hours of flight, 3 hours of driving and the usual problems of wrenching in a euro sized hotel room.  Thumbs up so far, espcially for thinking of including an allen wrench with a pointy end to poke holes in any number supplied (this is important for lining up the holes in the mount with those of the number). 

 Overall the Smartmount was easy to install, a couple of screws and a zip tie and adjusting the angle was a breeze (loosen slightly/ retighten).  During the event the number wasn’t even noticeable, no annoying flapping in the breeze, no hindrance to bottles or brakes, just a number attached for all to see and stay out-of-the-way.  After the race we decided to leave the zip tied portion of the mount to the bike, put away the rest and travel to the next venue.  After several weeks of travel and training there was no issue with the little stub left on the seat post and when the next race (ITU Du World Championships) came up it was as simple as swap the numbers and bolt the frame back onto the stub.  Done. 

Next bike to receive the Smartmount was an aero seat post bike built for IM.  Lower seat height, bags and bottle cages off the back, stuff, stuff and more stuff to provide minimal room.  Once again the Smartmount was no problem.  Just reversed the little tab mount, and played with the angle till I found a happy spot and done.  The rest of the performance was the same as we found on the other bike.  Basically didn’t notice a thing. 

Conclusion:  The Smartmount is a clever, simple solution to mounting your race number.  All types of numbers mount easily from paper numbers to hard stock numbers ( I have not tried a plastic number yet, but as these are not common, it’s not much of an issue).  The optional aero sleeve (recommended) makes even the thinnest of numbers work and is infinitely superior to cleaning sticker residue off your frame.  McCool’s offers a few other innovate products like an aero cover for your standard helmet and a helmet number holder.  Look for these to be reviewed in the future. 

  If you are interested in purchasing a race number holder for yourself or for that Triathlete in your life they are now available at the Hypercat Store for $14.50 with the optional Aero sleeve.